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Sunday, February 3, 2013

Hi everyone! It's the beginning of February and time for some #souplove! This event was perfectly timed for us here in Virginia. Up until a few weeks ago, we were lucky enough to experience a relatively mild winter. It wasn't until the end of January that we were hit with cold temperatures and just enough snow to make driving annoying.

That's one reason why I'm glad to be sharing this chicken and rice soup. It's a delicious and simple recipe that will warm your insides on that cold winter day. I know that chicken noodle soup is one of the most iconic soups out there, but the noodle aspect of it isn't the most friendly to those with Celiac or gluten sensitivity. That's why I go with using healthy brown rice for this recipe, it's a great substitute for noodles!

I love using aromatics to add flavor to chicken stocks. Sliced lemons, crushed garlic, and peppercorns are great ways of adding some bold flavor without adding a lot of sugars or fats.

You could use skinless, boneless chicken for this soup, but that would be as close to sacrilegious as I can think. The end soup doesn't have any of the bones or skin in it, but using them in the cooking process adds some great flavor to the soup. I like to brown the chicken skin in the pan that I cook the vegetables in for some great caramelized flavors. Cooking with the bone in not only gives you some tender meat, but adds heartiness to the soup.

I also like to sautee the veggies in the same pan the chicken was in. Not only is it one less pan to use, but you get some great flavor out of the browned bits on the pan.

After the chicken is cooked, I just peel off the skin and chop the chicken into chunks for the soup. Super tasty!

Do not rinse the rice before cooking it. The added starch will help thicken the soup. Combine the rice, water, and oil in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then cover and cook over medium heat for 35 minutes.

In a sautee pan, add 1 tbsp oil and brown the skin of the chicken breast, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a pot, and remove the pan from heat. In the pot add the stock, lemon, parsley, peppercorn, garlic, and bayleaves. Bring it to a boil, and then reduce to medium heat. Cover the pot and cook for 20 minutes, flipping the chicken once in between.

While the chicken is cooking, chop the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Sautee in the pan that the chicken was cooked in for about 4-5 minutes, just until slightly translucent and tender.

Remove the chicken from the pot, and strain out the lemon, parsley, peppercorn, garlic, and bayleaves. Add the vegetables to the pot, and simmer over medium heat.

After the chicken has rested for 8 minutes, remove the skin, and remove the meat from the bone. Chop the chicken into chunks and add to the soup. Add the rice to the soup. Simmer on low until ready to serve.

Thank you to all of the co-hosts this month. Be sure to check what they cooked!